Description of the attraction
The Dominican Church of St. Jacek is a church located in the center of Warsaw. In 1603, the Dominicans decided to build a church in Warsaw. The construction of the baroque church took many years: the wooden chapel and bell tower were built in 1638, and required many more finishing works. The church was built in the early Baroque style with Renaissance elements. The monastery buildings were completed later, in 1650.
In 1655, the church was plundered and burned by the Swedes. Bishop Wojciech Tolibowski, who at that time was the bishop of the city of Poznan, consecrated the restored church in 1661. A year later, a bell tower appeared in the church, and in 1690 one of the most important details was created - the chapel of St. Dominic, which was built by the outstanding architect Tilman Gamerski in the Baroque style. Before the second offensive of the Swedish army during the Great Northern War in 1702, the monks managed to evacuate all valuables from the church.
The greatest flowering of the church fell on the 18th century. During this period, a unique collection of books was collected, which, unfortunately, was destroyed. In 1864, the Dominican Order was liquidated, and the church was transferred to the diocesan priests. A few years later, a boys' orphanage and a boarding school were opened in the monastery.
During World War II, the monastery housed a German field hospital, so during the bombing the monastery was completely bombed and turned into ruins.
After the end of the war, the restoration of the church began, which lasted until 1959. Much has not been restored, a huge part of the past splendor turned out to be hopelessly lost. However, there are surviving values, among which is the Baroque Kotovsky chapel, created at the end of the 17th century. In the underground crypt, the sarcophagi of the Kotovsky couple, the founders of the temple, were miraculously preserved.
